According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment report (2008), warming of the climate system is ‘unequivocal’ as indicated through a number of earth observations including temperature, melting snow and sea level rise. With climate change eminent there is a need to explore both adaptation and mitigation strategies. This paper will focus on the former (adaptation) but through developing adaptation strategies these might also inform climate change mitigation strategies. The aim of this research is to test a new approach to cross-organisational research collaboration to better support policy-makers, planners, and land managers in addressing climate change adaptation in South West Victoria. The approach taken is based on the concept of virtual collaboration also known as e-science. In this paper we will present an e-science approach which comprises a number of core components including: (i) a virtual organisation (VO) portal, (ii) climate data and land suitability models, and (iii) geographical visualisation tools. A prototype e-science portal known as the e-Resource Centre (e-RC) has been built for the South West Victoria region to explore climate change adaptation options for 2050. This research will report on the development to date of the (e-RC) portal and some of the lessons learnt and challenges facing researchers in being able to better collaborate across organisations in addressing climate change. Future research is required to further evaluate and test the various components comprising the e-science framework, particularly the point of view of end-users.